Surprise: Lazio still top the table. Juventus slip up, Napoli bounce back
Kimi Antonelli’s eighth win of the season provides the perfect finishing touch to a day of football
Thank goodness for Kimi Antonelli, our young racing prodigy who, Sunday after Sunday (having secured his eighth win of the season at the Madrid Grand Prix), spares us from having to talk about football straight away in a round where the liveliest (Inter, Roma and Como) play on Mondays, the day of barbers and late-night fixtures.
Of course, there’s no shortage of action: but apart from Lazio’s unexpected top spot, it hasn’t exactly been thrilling – especially for Juventus, who were soundly beaten (3–2) by Sassuolo after having twice managed to draw level with the Emilia-Romagna side. An illusion that vanished in the closing stages.
Spalletti’s side, decimated by injuries, suffered a last-gasp defeat in the 94th minute at the hands of former Juventus player Adizic – a talent who came through the Bianconeri’s youth system but proved ruthless in handing Juventus their first league defeat of the season. It was a rather dramatic defeat that had seemed to be averted by Zhegrova’s unexpected brace (82’ and 91’), which cancelled out goals from Esposito (65’) and Bowie (89’). However, this brace proved futile due to the fragility of the defence, which was positioned too high up the pitch and was far too vulnerable. The whole team, however, failed to rise to the occasion: slow and almost never clinical. They were commendable in their attempt to turn the result around, but also naive in leaving themselves exposed and conceding a late goal. In addition to the unreliability of the defence, there was also the inconsistency of the attack, where Kolo Muani’s slump continued (he has gone 179 days without a goal), and the introduction of Nick Woltemade – the towering German who appeared inaccurate and lacking in mobility – added little. Alberto Aquilani’s Sassuolo, on the other hand, were courageous and enterprising. Aquilani was a pupil of Spalletti’s during his time at Roma. For one evening at least, the pupil surpassed the master.
Things went better for Napoli, however, just as they have for Juventus in their search for a new identity that will restore them to the heights of their history. Coming off the back of three consecutive defeats, they finally pulled it off, beating Bologna 1–0 at the Maradona – a side which, let’s face it, wasn’t exactly unbeatable. But that matters little: what mattered to Max Allegri was to extricate himself from a very delicate predicament. Three points were needed, and three points were secured thanks to a clever burst of pace from Lobotka (assisted by Favasuli) that sank the Rossoblù, who were hardly ever in the game. What can one say? It’s not a victory that will go down in history, but Napoli’s aim was simply to bounce back and not fall behind the leaders. And that aim has been achieved. Bologna, on the other hand, fared poorly and remain stuck on their measly single point.
The talk of a glorious past that has now faded also applies to Milan, who emerged reeling from their clash with Lazio (2-2). Trailing by two goals, the Rossoneri staged a comeback in the second half thanks to a brace from Diego Moreira, the Belgian (who cost 50 million) who had been left to doze on the bench for 45 minutes alongside Pulisic and Musah.
